Long story short yesterday I had to handle my horse and my friends horse for the farrier. I didn't have any helpers as she was out of town and my bf was working. No big deal. I asked last week if I could get some help with at least just moving the horses. They are in different pastures and to save the farrier his precious time I wanted them in one of the empty front paddocks so it would be quick to swap them out, which they didn't do. I had my friends horse done first. He was a pain to say it the nicest way. While my horse was running out in the paddock since she was alone, I don't care she can run herself sweaty if she wants, she will stop when she's tired. There was water and shade so she was fine.

I take her out and put my friends horse back who then of course starts to run in the paddock. By this time all the other paddock horses are in the stalls so he isn't bothering anyone. Then the owner comes up to me and with an somewhat snotty tone says I need to do something with that horse before he gets to sweaty running. I am currently holding my horse for the farrier and so she tells me again with the tone that she is too busy and no one can help me turn him out.

Now my board includes them holding horses for farrier or vet. Their barn farrier was there at the time as well and I think that is why they didn't want to help even though the previous week I was told they would be happy to help and I even gave them the time he would be there. All I wanted help with was someone turning him back out to pasture.

Am I upset for nothing? I really didn't think it was fair to leave my horse in the cross ties for my farrier to deal with. While she was a perfect angel I just don't feel it's his duty to watch her without me ready to correct her if she does something. The tone the owner used really upset me. I could understand if she was busy but tried to find one of the other barn workers (which two were still there) to help but couldn't locate them but I could see both right behind her. Or if they didn't want to take him out then someone could have just held onto my horse.

I would not have left my horse in the cross-ties alone with farrier to take care of the other horse. Accidents happen in cross-ties real fast, especially being worked on. For safety reasons alone, she should have helped you out if she wanted the other horse moved so bad. Especially with two workers there that could have assisted, even if it wasn't included in full board, she should have helped for the sake of the horses if she really needed the horse moved. But bottom line, if it says its included in your contract, it should have been done. Otherwise take it out of the contract.

I would just focus on your own horse. It's nice to be a friend and offer to lend a hand but in this case it clearly caused you distress. Next time just tell your friend you've got all you can handle attending to the needs of your horse!

Well the reason I had to handle both is because I orginally wrote the date down wrong so she was out of town when the actual appointment was. Our two are the only ones that get done by my farrier. The rest of the barn uses the barn farrier, which I will never use under any circumstances.

You learned a valuable lesson . Don't over extend yourself. Make sure you double check dates.
Is your contract for the Barn Farrier or Outside farriers? If you have to hold two horses again, make sure there is an empty pen to drop the horses into as they get finished.

The contract didn't say. But the thing is I specifically asked last week if they would be able to help me. I was told of course, they would put the horses up in the paddocks attached to the barn and when one was done they could turn him out.

If they had told me they couldn't help then I would have rescheduled my friends horse but I was told they could help so I figured I wouldn't have a problem since they would turn the horse out after he was done.

I did put my friends horse in a pen. The paddocks are smallish runs attached to the barn, that's where I put him until I could go get him after my horse was done. He started running in there and then all of a sudden they couldn't help anymore even though they didn't help with a darned thing. The horses wern't in the paddocks when I got there so I had to go out and get them. And yes I gave them the time the farrier would be there.

I look at this way, and its probably not what you want to hear. Its your horse, your promise to your friend, its your responsiblity.
If you have to pay for full care board, someone else Does everything to care for your horse, then you don't have enough time to own a horse.

I pay full board care because she needs to be grained twice a day in winter and once a day in the summer. I work a minimum of 52 hours per week plus I am a full time college student that is also taking a full summer course load. We cannot afford to buy land around here at this time. We have been looking but it simply cannot be done. Therefore I must board. It is not worth saving $100 a month to have to add driving time and cost to my daily workload.

There are some days that I just cannot get out to the barn. And it usually has to do with homework or the fact that I worked a 12 hour shift at another barn and I have to get home to take care of my dog and do my homework.

This horse is on a strict schedule of conditioning that means I work her 3 days and 1 day off then 3 on 1 off. So on her off days I do not go out there.

Bottom line is I pay for certain services and expect to receive those services. I did not receive the services I pay for.

I think you have a common problem. My boarding contract also says they'll hold the horse for the farrier (and doesn't specify it's only for the barn farrier). The barn farrier generally doesn't have anyone hold the horses for him- there's a whiteboard with a list of horses to be done, he gets the horses himself (they're stalled, so it's not like he has to catch them from a field... if they're in turn out I assume he would ask someone to bring them in or just skip the horse and try again later), ties them, does his work, then puts them back.

I also don't use the barn farrier. I try very hard to be there every time my farrier is because I want to know if anything looks off even if my farrier wouldn't think it's a big enough deal to call me about (for example, I like to know if there's bruising on the sole) The last time I wasn't able to meet my farrier, so I asked if someone could hold my horse for him. I couldn't get a confirmation so I let my farrier know what stall he was in and said if he felt OK getting him out himself to go ahead and do so and I'd leave a check for him; if not we could reschedule. The morning of the appointment I got a call that someone would in fact be able to hold my horse and texted the info to my farrier, but he didn't even bother- he just got the horse himself like the barn farrier does.

Would I have been upset if I had to delay my farrier appointment because no one could hold my horse? Yeah, but it wouldn't have been a big deal. Lots of little things like this can certainly add up to a reason to move, though.

If you do have to hold 2 horses again, it seems like it would be a good idea to just assume the barn staff won't bring them up to the smaller paddock for you. Just get there early, and if you can put a 3rd horse in with them so they won't get so upset when one is taken away for shoeing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenson

I look at this way, and its probably not what you want to hear. Its your horse, your promise to your friend, its your responsiblity.
If you have to pay for full care board, someone else Does everything to care for your horse, then you don't have enough time to own a horse.

That's really not fair. There are lots of people (myself included) who wouldn't have the time (or land) to own a horse if it weren't for full care board. Just because you're paying someone else to feed your horse twice a day, turn them out and bring them in, doesn't mean the horse's care is suffering, and it doesn't mean you're not an involved as someone who cares for their horses themselves.

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